38 | Country Focus: Sweden
SUMMARY
■ Main trends include automation and adoption of hot oil double treatment
■ The EU Circular Economy Package and the Construction Products Regulation could have a major positive impact
■ SWPA is developing its ByggaUte (build outdoors) concept
■ SWPA works closely with the Nordic Wood Preservation Council
POSITIVE PROSPECTS FOR PROTECTION
The transition to a sustainable, circular bioeconomy,
holds challenges but also opportunity for the timber protection sector, Swedish Wood Protection Association MD Fredrik Westin told Mike Jeffree
TTJ: HOW HAS BUSINESS BEEN FOR THE SWEDISH WOOD PRESERVATION SECTOR RECENTLY? Fredrik Westin: Business has been surprisingly resilient, especially compared with the broader construction and housing sector and the general economic cycle. A key reason is that consumers – the largest user group for treated wood – have continued to invest disposable income in outdoor living projects. Also, several major investments have been made in recent years, particularly in production capacity and technology. The main trends are increased automation and adoption of hot oil double treatment.
TTJ: HAVE THERE BEEN ANY PARTICULAR CHALLENGES FOR THE SECTOR RECENTLY? FW: The ongoing challenge is misconceptions about treated wood in relation to environment and health, which limits the full potential of our industry. To address this, we work actively to provide accurate information on product properties, recycling, and sustainable waste management – with education and fact-based communication as key tools. At the same time, EU regulation brings important opportunities. A harmonised European market with equal standards for production and products could significantly expand our market and create new business opportunities. The implementation process is, however, slow and sometimes inconsistent.
Above: Fredrik Westin is managing
director of the Swedish Wood Protection Association PHOTO: DANIEL STROM
TTJ: YOUR MEMBERS SUPPLY TREATED TIMBER TO THE UK, IS THERE CONCERN ABOUT UK DIVERGENCE FROM EU REGULATION AND STANDARDS ? FW: We are very much in favour of an open market and common standards across borders and there is now a process between the UK and the EU to come closer again and remove obstacles to trade. We hope that process continues.
TTJ: WHAT IS DRIVING THE ADOPTION OF HOT OIL DOUBLE TREATMENT BY SWPA MEMBERS? FW: It’s a process dating back to the 60s and best known under the Royale label, but it complements latest copper- based preservatives and has performance,
TTJ | September/October 2025 |
www.ttjonline.com
environmental and aesthetic benefits. The timber undergoes the normal full-cell pressure treatment, then the water is evaporated out of the wood with hot oil which gives a dry core and delivers a surface treatment that reduces leaching and cracking. It’s popular for public projects and its brown colour suits applications such as cladding and fencing. It is more expensive, but this is offset by the fact that there is no additional cost for surface treatment, and the timber is zero maintenance for 15 years. It’s a question of getting this message across and convincing consumers to pay more.
Concerns over the flammability of hot-oil treated timber – in its standard form it can ignite more quickly and burn with more energy – are also being allayed with the use of oils developed as integral fire retardant. Further variants of this treatment are being developed by Swedish companies, such as Linax from Bitus.
TTJ: YOU BELIEVE THE TIMBER TREATMENT SECTOR CAN NOW CAPITALISE ON THE TRANSITION TO A SUSTAINABLE, LOW CARBON, CIRCULAR ECONOMY. FW: Yes, we see the EU Circular Economy Package and the Construction Products Regulation supporting use of quality wood products and this could have a major positive impact on our industry. We are exploring how our products fit into a circular economy, and
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